A few weeks ago I wrote about math differentiation for my DS6, and how I was concerned that he was expected to move forward in math using only the book, no instruction. Well, here is the update:
This morning, I sent a message to DS6's school regarding a few things. I want to stress that this was a non-confrontational e-mail, where I mentioned the math differentiation (we're continuing to see errors and mistakes in the directions). I also noted that his handwriting has deteriorated since the school year started and he's not sharing things with me that he enjoys about school- I asked for insights.
The teacher came back, said he daydreams a lot but always seems to know where the class is in the work.
I pressed and said that perhaps he needs some help with managing some of the soft skills required for self-direction. In return, I got an e-mail back from the teacher (cc'ing the principle) that seems to imply that my son has some behavioral problems, maturity problems, and comprehension issues. She said she talked with DS today and he said that he was bored-- she views this as code for not understanding the material. She seemed especially concerned about his reading ability and comprehension- and asked him why he was not reading the books she has out in class (this is where the "boring" came up). She also said that he is "behind" the rest of the class when he was previously with the group in math (i.e. not keeping up with the directions and moving slowly).
To be clear, at his parent/teacher conference (last week!) she stated that he was highly intelligent and well-mannered (no mention of these issues ever). His recent standardized test score composite and math subtest score were in the 99th percentile. His reading comprehension and mechanics were 98th percentile (last year in the 99th, so a little drop). He reads books at home cover to cover meant for 5th graders and higher- he's six and in the first grade.
Uhmm…
